Surfacing cross platform applications

ABSTRACT

A utility application store may be configured to present an interface displaying multiple applications that are available from the utility application store. By accessing the interface of the utility application store, a utility supplier may, with a single request, initiate installation or activation of an application on multiple utility meters or other smart sensors in a utility communication network. The utility application store may be configured to provide notification of the availability of applications for utility meters or other smart sensors, consumer computing devices, and/or utility supplier back office computing devices. The utility application store may include one or more distributed applications that include a first portion configured for execution by a utility meter and one or more other portions configured for execution by another computing device (e.g., a personal computer, mobile device, utility supplier back office server, cloud service, or the like).

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/907,665, filed on May 31, 2013, the entirety ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Utility meters such as electric, water and natural gas meters haveevolved from isolated devices that simply measure utility consumptionand display a consumption reading to so called “smart meters” that areconnected devices capable of reporting resource consumption readingsautomatically over a utility communication network. Such meters utilizeincreasingly complex and specialized software to perform requiredfunctions. Unfortunately, the software update process is a difficultone, in which administrators utilize tools that are configured fordownload of specific software code. Considerable time is spent bynetwork professionals, and each update is a customized event requiringconsideration and preparation.

In some instances, utility companies may not even be aware that softwareor updates are available for devices in their network. Thus, in order toinstall or update software across their entire network, a utilitycompany must first learn that compatible software is available fordevices in their network. Consumers are generally completely unaware ofwhat software is running on the meters servicing the properties, andplay no role in its selection and operation.

Once installed, the software has been designed to execute on the smartmeter to perform metering functionality and to report metering data todevices in the utility's communication network. Smart meter software hasbeen restricted from communication with devices outside the utility'scommunication network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example architecture including autility application store usable to facilitate distribution andinstallation of applications to one or more smart utility meters, smartsensors, or other network computing devices.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example user interface presentingmultiple “meter” applications available from a utility applicationstore.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another example user interfacepresenting multiple “consumer” applications available from a utilityapplication store.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an example user interface presentingmultiple “other” applications available from a utility applicationstore.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating details of the example utilityapplication store of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating details of one of the examplesmart sensors of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example method that may be implemented by autility application store to provide one or more applications forinstallation on one or more utility meters or other smart sensors.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an example architecture which is usableto notify users of the existence of applications available for one ormore computing devices.

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of an example notification that may beused to notify a utility supplier of an application that is availablefor a utility meter.

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram of an example notification that may beused to notify a customer of an application that is available for thecustomer's computing device.

FIG. 9C is a schematic diagram of an example notification that may beused to notify a utility supplier of an application that is availablefor a utility supplier computing device.

FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram of an example method of notifying usersof the existence of applications available for one or more computingdevices.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an example architecture in which afirst portion of a distributed application is installed on a smartsensor and second portion of the distributed application is installed onanother computing device.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an example user interface of a portionof a distributed application executable on a consumer device, whichinteracts with a portion of the distributed application that isexecutable on a smart sensor.

FIG. 13 is a signal flow diagram of an example method that may beimplemented by a utility meter or other smart sensor executing a firstportion of a distributed application, which interacts with a secondportion of the distributed application executing on another computingdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview

As discussed above, software for smart utility meters is currently onlyavailable directly from the respective manufacturers of the smartutility meters, with different manufacturers making the softwareavailable in different ways. Utility companies currently lack acentralized location from which they can easily obtain software for thesmart utility meters and other devices in their utility communicationnetworks. Existing systems also lack any mechanism to notify utilitycompanies, customers, and other users when applications are availablefor their smart utility meters, consumer devices, and other computingdevices. Still further, existing utility smart meter applications areincapable of communicating with and leveraging applications running onconsumer computing devices, utility backend computing devices, and otherweb services.

This patent application describes a utility application store comprisinga repository of applications available for download and installation onone or more smart utility meters or other smart sensors. The term “smartsensor” means a measuring and/or sensing equipment which measures orsenses physical parameters (e.g., energy, power, voltage, power factor,temperature, gas pressure, flow rate, etc.) and has the ability tocommunicate this information via a network. By way of example and notlimitation, smart sensors may include utility meters (e.g., electricity,water, or gas meters), relays, repeaters, smart grid routers,transformers or any such utility network computing device. The utilityapplication store may additionally or alternatively include applicationsavailable for computing devices other than utility network computingdevices, such as personal computers (e.g., desktop computers, laptopcomputers, etc.), mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.), servers,routers, access points, or the like.

As used herein, the term “application” or “app” means any software orfirmware capable of executing on a computing device. Examples ofapplications include, without limitation, an operating system, an updateto an operating system, a software program, an update of a softwareprogram, an add-on to a software program, a patch, a plugin, a driver, afirmware image, or a firmware update.

In one aspect, the utility application store may be configured topresent an interface displaying multiple applications that are availablefrom the utility application store. By accessing the interface of theutility application store, a utility supplier may, with a singlerequest, initiate installation or activation of one or more applicationson multiple utility meters or other smart sensors in the utility'scommunication network. The multiple utility meters or other smartsensors may comprise a predefined subset (e.g., all meters of a certainmodel, all meters in a certain geographic region, etc.) of utilitymeters in the utility's communication network. In some examples, asingle application may be installed at a time. However, in otherexamples, multiple different applications may be installed in a batch orsequentially.

In another aspect, a utility application store or other service may beconfigured to provide notification of the availability of applicationsfor utility meters or other smart sensors, consumer computing devices,and/or utility back office computing devices. For example, uponreceiving a request to install an application on a consumer computingdevice (e.g., personal computer or mobile device), the utilityapplication store or other service may identify an associatedapplication that is available for a utility meter of a user of theconsumer computing device. The utility application store or otherservice may then send a notification of the availability of theassociated application to a utility supplier servicing the utility meterand/or to the consumer computing device.

In yet another aspect, the utility application store may include adistributed application that includes a first portion configured forexecution by a utility meter or other smart sensor and a second portionconfigured for execution by another computing device (e.g., a personalcomputer, mobile device, utility back office server, cloud service, orthe like). In one example, a smart utility meter may have the firstportion of the distributed application stored in memory and executableby one or more processors to configure the smart utility meter to causethe second portion of the distributed application installed at a remotecomputing resource to perform at least a portion of an operation.

Any or all of the foregoing aspects may be performed or made possible bya utility application store, such as that described herein. However,certain aspects described herein may also be accomplished without theneed for a utility application store. While many of the examples may beunderstood in the context of traditional utility supply chains in whichutility providing companies (e.g., energy generation companies) supplyresources to utility distribution companies, which in turn provide theresources to end customers. The techniques described herein also applyto models in which utility suppliers supply resources to consumersdirectly or via retailers/vendors, as opposed to through a utilitydistribution company. As used herein the term “utility supplier” meansany provider or distributor of a resource including, without limitation,a utility providing company, a utility distribution company, a smartcity, a municipality, a retailer or vendor, a co-op, a micro grid, or anindividual.

This brief overview is provided for the reader's convenience and is notintended to limit the scope of the claims, nor the proceeding sections.Furthermore, the techniques described in detail below may be implementedin a number of ways and in a number of contexts. Several exampleimplementations are provided with reference to the following figures, asdescribed below in more detail. However, the following implementationsand context are but few of many.

Example Utility Application Store

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example networked environment orarchitecture 100 including a utility application store 102. The utilityapplication store or “app store” 102 includes a repository ofapplications 104 available for installation on one or more utilitymeters or other smart sensors 106(1), 106(2), 106(3), . . . 106(N)(collectively referred to as “smart sensors 106”), where N is anyinteger greater than or equal to 1. In the illustrated example, thesmart sensors 106 are arranged in a mesh network defining an autonomousrouting area 108. However, in other examples, the meters may be arrangedin a star network or other network topology. Regardless of the topologyof the autonomous routing area 108, individual smart sensors or “nodes”may be in communication by wireless (e.g., radio frequency) and/or wired(e.g., power line communication, Ethernet, serial, etc.) connections.The smart sensors 106 may be configured to collect information (e.g.,resource consumption information, network traffic information, weatherinformation, etc.) and to report the collected information to a utilitysupplier 110 via a wired or wireless network 112, such as the Internet,a cellular network, or the like. The network 112 may itself be made upof one or more other wired and/or wireless networks. In the illustratedexample, smart sensor 106(2) acts as a root or edge node of theautonomous routing area 108 to relay communications from other smartsensors 106 in the autonomous routing area 108 to the utility supplier110 over the network 112. The utility supplier 110 may be representativeof a utility distribution company and may include one or more severs orother computing devices, which may be arranged in a single location orin multiple distributed locations. In other examples, the utilitysupplier 110 may be a utility providing company (e.g., electricitygeneration company), a smart city, a municipality, a retailer or vendor,a co-op, a micro grid, an individual, or any other provider ordistributor of a resource.

The app store repository 104 may include applications designed to run onsmart sensors developed by multiple different hardware manufacturers.The app store repository 104 may also include applications designed torun on one or more servers of the utility supplier 110, consumercomputing devices 114, or other computing devices. The applications mayhave been developed by an entity administering the application store102, one or more utility meter or hardware manufacturers, one or moreutility suppliers, and/or one or more independent software vendors. Assuch, the app store 102 may serve as a central source for allapplications that a utility supplier needs for all of the devices in theutility provider's communication network. While the applicationdescribes the “utility supplier's communication network” as being ownedor administered by the utility provider, in other examples, a separateentity may manage or administer the communication network over whichsmart sensors and other devices communicate.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a user (e.g., a utility supplier employee,consumer, or other user) may access the utility application store 102using the computing device 114. Using a web browser or an app storeclient program resident on computing device 114, the user may access awebsite or other interface 116 to the utility application store 102. Theinterface 116 may present a plurality of applications that are availablefrom the app store 102. In the example of FIG. 1, the interface includesmultiple tabs 118, each representing a different category ofapplications available from the app store 102. In the illustratedexample, four tabs are shown: meter apps, utility apps, consumer apps,and other. In response to selection of each tab, the interface 116 willdisplay a list or otherwise present applications corresponding to theselected tab/category of application. The interface 116 may also includea search field 120 that may be used to search within the selected tabfor applications relevant to an input search term. However, theinterface 116 may be configured in any other way suitable to present theapplications that are available from the app store 102. For instanceinstead of having multiple tabs for different categories of users on asingle interface, separate interfaces may be presented to users based ontheir roles. For instance, utility personnel may be presented with onlyapplications for utility computing devices, while consumers may bepresented with only applications for consumer computing devices.

In FIG. 1, a user has selected the “meter apps” tab and has input thesearch query “100 Series.” Thus, the interface 116 displays a list ofapplications for smart meters that are relevant to the search query.From this list, the user may select one or more applications to installor activate. By electing to install an application (e.g., by selectionof a download or install control), the user may initiate download orotherwise cause transmission of the application to one or more devices(e.g., meters in this example). By selecting to activate an application,the user may initiate download, cause transmission, or obtain acredential (e.g., key, password, etc.) usable to activate or unlock anapplication that is already installed (though locked) on the one or moredevices. In the illustrated example, each application is shown with theoption to “install/activate” the application. However, in otherexamples, separate controls for “install” and “activate” may beprovided, or the interface 116 may only show the relevant controls. Inthe illustrated example, the user has selected to install or activatethe application “OS 2.0: Voltage Quality Add-On.” In some examples,selection of the install or activate control alone may be sufficient toinitiate the installation or activation. However, in other examples, inresponse to selection of the install or activate control, the app store102 may give the user an option to purchase the application.

In some embodiments, the interface 116 may additionally include anothertab (not shown) or other interface to display the applications currentlyinstalled by the user, on devices of the user, or on devices of anentity with which the user is associated. When present, this tab orinterface may also include a list of devices associated with the user orentity and/or provide the ability to update, uninstall, deactivate theapplications for each device individually, for classes of device (e.g.,device type, model, series, etc.), for devices in a certain geographicarea, or the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example interface that may be presented to theuser to allow the user to purchase the meter application “OS 2.0:Voltage Quality Add-On.” As shown, when the user selects to install oractivate the application (the left side of FIG. 2), a purchase interface200 is presented (the right side of FIG. 2) to allow the user topurchase the application. The purchase interface 200 may include avariety of information and/or controls. For instance, in the illustratedexample, the purchase interface 200 includes an application“price/device” (shown as $0.99 in this example), a “No. of Devices”field to allow the user to specify the number of devices (in this case100,000 devices) on which to install the application, and a “DeviceType(s)” control to allow the user to specify the type(s) of device(s)on which the application is to be installed. The Device Type(s) controlis shown as a drop down menu, but could be a series of radio buttons,check boxes, free text entry fields, or any other control usable tospecify one or more device types on which the application is to beinstalled. In the illustrated example, the Price/Device is the same forall device types, but in other examples the Price/Device may varydepending on the type of device on which the application is to beinstalled (e.g., a first price for a utility meter and second price fora data collector), the number of devices on which the application is tobe installed (e.g., reflecting a volume discount), or the like.

In some examples, the app store 102 may have prior knowledge of thedevices associated with the user or an account of the user. In thatcase, the Device Type(s) control and/or No. of Devices field may beprepopulated with the types and numbers of devices associated with theuser or user account. For instance, in the example of FIG. 1, if the appstore system 102 is in communication with the utility supplier 110 orotherwise has access to information about the device types and number ofeach type of device in the utility communication network, the app store102 may be able to determine which devices in the utility supplier'scommunication network are compatible with the selected application. Theapp store 102 may then prepopulate those device types and the numbersuch devices in the purchase interface 200, greatly simplifying theprocess of purchasing applications across all applicable devices in theutility communication network.

Once the device types and number of devices have been specified (orprepopulated), the purchase interface 200 may display a Total Cost (inthis case $99,000) for installation of the application on the specifieddevices. The purchase interface 200 also includes a “Delivery Method”control allowing the user to specify a preferred delivery method of theapplication or credential. For instance, in the illustrated example theuser is given the option to have the application or credentialtransmitted directly to the devices over the utility communicationnetwork, or to have the application or credential transmitted to theutility supplier 110 for subsequent distribution to the individualdevices. The purchase interface 200 also includes a “Payment Method”control to allow the user to specify how to pay for the applications. InFIG. 2, the user is presented with options to “Charge to Account” (e.g.,a credit account with the app store or a third party creditor), “Chargeto Credit Card,” and/or “Prepaid.” The Prepaid option may indicate thatthe user has previously paid for a certain number or dollar value ofapplications. The prepayment may have taken the form of a one-timepayment (e.g., a bulk application purchase), a credit for purchasinganother product (e.g., three free applications with the purchase of anew meter), a subscription (e.g., unlimited free apps withsubscription), a service or maintenance agreement (e.g., free updatesand security patches for 1 year with the purchase of a new softwarepackage), or the like. The user may then complete the purchase andinitiate the installation or activation by selecting the “Buy Now”control.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example interface that may be presented to a userto allow the user to purchase a consumer application “ElectronicBilling.” In this example, the user has selected the “Consumer Apps” tabfrom among tabs 118 and has input the search query “Electricity” in thesearch field 120. Thus, the interface 116 in this example displaysconsumer focused applications related to the search query “electricity.”As shown, when the user selects to install or activate the application(the left side of FIG. 3), a purchase interface 300 is presented (theright side of FIG. 3) to allow the user to purchase the application. Insome embodiments, the purchase interface 300 for consumer applicationsmay be the same or similar to the purchase interface 200 for meterapplications. However, in the example of FIG. 3, the purchase interface300 for consumer applications is different in several respects,reflecting the different needs of consumer users. For example, as shownin FIG. 3, the payment interface 300 omits the No. of Devices field,reflecting the fact that consumers typically will be installing theapplication on a relatively small number of devices. However, in othervariations, the payment interface 300 may include the ability topurchase an application for multiple of the same or different devices,much like the payment interface 200 of FIG. 2. As another exampledifferent, the Delivery Method control is omitted in FIG. 3, reflectingthe fact that consumers typically will have only one way of installingor activating content on their consumer devices. In still otherexamples, only the tabs pertinent to the user (e.g., based on the user'srole) may be displayed to the user. For instance, only the consumer tabmay be shown to the user if the user is a consumer.

The payment interface 300 may also include a link 302 to another appstore (e.g., an app store associated with a particular consumer devicesuch as the iTunes® store or the Android® store). In some embodiments,the user may be able to pay for the application from the interface 300and then navigate to the other app store (e.g., iTunes® store or theAndroid® store) to download the application. In other embodiments, theuser may select the link 302 to navigate to the other app store to bothpurchase and download the application.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example interface that may be presented to a userto allow the user to purchase an application “Repeater WiFi HotspotAdd-On” for an “Other” computing device. In this example, the user hasselected the “Other” tab from among tabs 118 and has input the searchquery “WiFi” in the search field 120. Thus, the interface 116 in thisexample displays applications for computing devices other than metersand consumer devices, related to the search query “WiFi.” As shown, whenthe user selects to install or activate the application (the left sideof FIG. 4), a purchase interface 400 is presented (the right side ofFIG. 4) to allow the user to purchase the application. In someembodiments, the purchase interface 400 for other applications may bethe same or similar to the purchase interface 200 for meter applicationsor the purchase interface 300 for consumer applications. Accordingly,additional discussion of the purchase interface 400 are omitted forbrevity.

In the example of FIG. 4, a user (e.g., a utility supplier employee)selects to purchase an add-on application for 100 “X25 Repeaters,” at aprice of $4.99 per application, for a total of $499. The application inthis example may comprise an add-on that allows a radio frequency (RF)repeater to function as a WiFi hotspot. The add-on may be a separateapplication that is installed on the repeater, or may simply be a key,password, or other credential that unlocks functionality of anapplication that is already installed on the repeater.

Example Utility Application Store System

FIG. 5 illustrates the example utility application store 102 of FIG. 1in more detail. The utility application store 102 may be configured asor disposed at a server, a cluster of servers, a server farm, a datacenter, a cloud computing resource, or any other computing resourcecapable of storing and/or providing access to a plurality ofapplications for smart sensors and other computing devices. The utilityapplication store 102 may include one or more processors 500 and memory502. The memory 502 may include an application repository 104 storing anapplication index 504 and multiple applications 506(1), 506(2), 506(3),. . . 506(M) (collectively referred to as “applications 506”) that areavailable from the utility application store 102, where M is any integergreater than or equal to 1. The application index 504 may include alisting of the applications 506 by topic, category, feature, product, orthe like. The application repository 104 may also include metadataassociated with the applications 506. By way of example and notlimitation, the metadata may include, for each application, a categoryof the application (e.g., meter application, consumer application, otherapplication, etc.), a version of the application, compatibility of theapplication with specific software and/or hardware, keywords associatedwith the applications, brief descriptions of the application, featurespecifications of the application, or the like.

The memory 502 may also include a plurality of modules to implementvarious functions of the utility application store 102. For instance, anapplication store interface module 508 may be configured to generate agraphical user interface (e.g., interface 116) presenting theapplications that are available in the application repository 104. Theapplication store interface module 508 may make the interface availableto one or more users by, for example, publishing the interface to awebsite accessible by a browser of a client computing device. Whenaccessed by the computing device, the application store interface module508 may serve the interface to the computing device displaying themultiple applications that are available along with controls usable torequest installation or activation of the applications.

A verification module 510 may be configured to verify compatibility ofone or more applications with one or more computing devices. In responseto receiving a request to install or activate an application, averification module 510 may verify that the requested application iscompatible with each of the devices specified in the request. Theverification module 510 may make this verification with reference to adevice compatibility index 512, the application index (if present),and/or metadata stored in the application repository 104. For instance,the request may include an identifier for each of the devices on whichthe application is to be installed. In that case, verifying that acompatible version of the application exists for the devices comprisesdetermining, from the identifier of each of the one or more devices, atype of each of the one or more devices, and determining whether acompatible version of the application exists for the determined type ofeach of the one or more devices. Alternatively, the type of the devicesmay be specified directly in the request (e.g., each of the device typesspecified in the payment interface 200).

Additionally or alternatively, if the utility application store 102 hasaccess to information about the devices in the utility communicationnetwork, it may make this compatibility verification prior to presentingthe available applications to the user. For instance, the memory 502 maystore a topology module 514 that is in communication with the utilitysupplier 110. The topology module 514 may maintain information about thedevice types, current software versions, and/or locations of devices inthe utility supplier's communication network. Alternatively, the memory502 may maintain a record of all device types for which the user haspreviously purchased applications, and the versions of applicationspurchased. In either case, the user may be presented only withapplications that are compatible with devices in the utility's owncommunication network.

A provisioning module 516 may be configured to prepare the applicationor credential for transmission to the one or more smart sensors or otherdevices by, for example, segmenting the application or credential intomultiple segments, compressing the application or credential, and/orencrypting the application or credential. The provisioning module 516may also generate credentials (e.g., based on a private key, a randompassword generator, or the like), or may provide existing credentials(e.g., passwords or certificates) to activate the requested application.

A payment module 518 may be configured to provide a payment interface(e.g., payment interfaces 200, 300, 400, etc.) usable to allow a user topurchase an application. The payment module 518 may also be configuredto receive and process payment information, generate appropriate billinginformation, and/or update user account information based on thereceived payments.

Once an application has been purchased, a control module 520 may causetransmission of the application or credential according to the deliverymethod specified in the request (if any). For instance, in the case of ameter application, the control module 520 may initiate transmissiondirectly to the one or more smart sensors via the utility communicationnetwork. Alternatively, the control module 520 may initiate transmissionto the utility supplier 110 or any other specified destination forsubsequent distribution to the individual smart sensors. Initiatingtransmission may include the application store performing thetransmission, or the application store instructing another computingdevice (e.g., a distribution computing device not shown) to perform thetransmission.

In some embodiments, the memory 502 may also include a notificationmodule 522 configured to provide notification of the availability ofapplications for utility meters or other smart sensors, consumercomputing devices, and/or utility back office computing devices.Additional details of the notification module 522 and its functionalityare described below in the section entitled “Example Notification ofApplication Availability.”

The utility application store 102 also includes one or morecommunication connections 524 to enable the utility application store102 to communicate with other computing devices locally or over thenetwork 112. Examples of communication connections include, withoutlimitation, power line communication (PLC) connections, Ethernet orother wired network connections, cellular communication connections, RFcommunication connections, or the like. As such, the utility applicationstore 102 also includes any ancillary hardware, modules, and/orinterfaces associated with or needed for the operation of the particularcommunication connections.

Example Smart Sensor

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing example details of an individual smartsensor 106. As discussed above, the smart sensor may comprise a smartutility meter (e.g., electricity meter, water meter, or gas meter), arelay, a repeater, a smart grid router, a transformer, or any otherutility network computing device. The smart sensor 106 may be configuredfor interaction with the utility application store 102, the utilitysupplier 110, as well as potentially other computing devices (e.g.,consumer computing devices, utility network computing devices, webservices, and the like). As noted above, in some examples, the smartsensor 106 may comprise a smart utility meter.

As shown in the example of FIG. 6, the smart sensor 106 may include aradio 602 and a processing unit 604. The radio 602 may provide two-wayRF communication with other smart sensors 106 in the autonomous routingarea 108 and/or other computing devices via the network 112. Theprocessing unit 604 may include one or more processors 606 and memory608 and/or other hardware device(s), such as an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a gate array or other hardware-based logicdevice. The memory 608 may include an operating system (OS) 610 and oneor more applications. In the illustrated example, the memory 608includes a first application 612 (e.g., a Voltage Quality Application tomonitor voltage quality of service provided to the smart sensor 106),and a second application 614 (e.g., a Home Area Network Applicationallowing the smart sensor 106 to interface with a home area network hubinstalled in a user's home).

In embodiments in which the smart sensor 106 comprises a utility meter,the smart sensor 106 may include a metrology module 616 configured toreceive consumption data of a resource (e.g., electricity, water, orgas) at a site of the meter. The metrology module 616 may report theconsumption data to the central office 110 by RF transmission via theradio 602. The consumption data may be formatted and/or packetized in amanner or protocol for transmission over the utility communicationnetwork.

In addition to the radio 602, smart sensor 106 may include one or moreother network connections 620, such as power line communications (PLC)connections, Ethernet or other wired network connections, RFconnections, cellular communication connections, or the like. As such,the smart sensor 106 also includes any ancillary hardware, modules,and/or interfaces associated with or needed for the operation of theparticular network connections.

The OS 610, the first application 612, the second application 614, themetrology module 616, and even software aspects of the radio 602 are allexamples of applications that may be executable by the smart sensor 106.Such applications may be installed on the smart sensor 106 by/from theutility application store 102. The memory may also include a portion ofa distributed application 618, other or related portions of which areexecutable by other computing devices (e.g., the utility applicationstore 102, central office 110, other smart sensors 106, or other webservices) to perform common or complimentary functions. Additionaldetails of distributed applications are described below in the sectionentitled “Example Distributed Applications.”

Memories 502 and 608 are shown to include software functionalityconfigured as one or more “modules.” However, the modules are intendedto represent example divisions of the software for purposes ofdiscussion, and are not intended to represent any type of requirement orrequired method, manner or necessary organization. Accordingly, whilevarious “modules” are discussed, their functionality and/or similarfunctionality could be arranged differently (e.g., combined into a fewernumber of modules, broken into a larger number of modules, etc.).

While detailed examples of certain computing devices (e.g., utilityapplication store 102 and smart sensors 106) are described above, itshould be understood that even those computing devices not described indetail may include one or more processors and memory storing processorexecutable instructions to implement the functionalities they aredescribed as performing. Certain computing devices may additionally oralternatively include one or more hardware components (e.g., applicationspecific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, systems ona chip, and the like) to implement some or all of the functionalitiesthey are described as performing.

The various memories described herein are examples of computer-readablemedia and may take the form of volatile memory, such as random accessmemory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM)or flash RAM. Computer-readable media includes volatile andnon-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such ascomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data for execution by one or more processors of a computingdevice. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limitedto, phase change memory (PRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM),dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory(RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology,compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD) orother optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmissionmedium that can be used to store information for access by a computingdevice. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not includecommunication media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

Example Methods of Installing or Activating Applications

FIG. 7 is a flowchart which illustrates an example flow of operations700 that may be performed by a first computing resource, such as utilityapplication store 102, to facilitate installation and/or activation ofan application on one or more utility meters or other smart sensors. Theexample flow of operations 700 is described in the context of theexample of architecture 100 and with reference to the devicesillustrated in FIG. 1. However, the flow of operations 700 is notlimited to use with the architecture 100 and devices of FIG. 1 and maybe implemented using other architectures and devices.

The flow of operations 700 may begin, at block 702, with the firstcomputing resource serving an interface displaying multiple applicationsthat are available for download by a second computing resource. In someexamples, the first computing resource may be administered by a firstentity (e.g., an application store hosting company) and the secondcomputing resource may be administered by a second entity (e.g., autility supplier, consumer, etc.) that is different than the firstentity. In one example, the first computing resource comprises one ormore servers of an application store (e.g., utility application store102) having multiple applications that are available for installation oractivation, and the second computing resource comprises a personalcomputer, a mobile device, a utility meter reading device, or othercomputing device (e.g., other computing device 114). The one or moresmart sensors (e.g., smart sensors 106) may include a predefined subsetof a plurality of smart sensors in a utility supplier's communicationnetwork, such as all smart sensors of a certain type, all smart sensorswithin a geographical area, etc. In some embodiments, at least some ofthe smart sensors may include one or more smart utility meters.

At 704, the first computing resource (e.g., the utility applicationstore 102) receives a request from the second computing resource (e.g.,computing device 114) to install or activate an application on one ormore smart sensors (e.g., one or more of smart sensors 106). In oneexample, the request may be in the form of selection of the“install/activate” control of the interface 116. In some instances, theapplication may include instructions to access metrology data collectedby the smart sensor (e.g., to process the metrology data, to make themetrology data available, etc.).

The request may include an identifier for each of the one or more smartsensors. In some instances, the identifier may be a serial number orunique identifier of individual smart sensors. However, in otherinstances, the identifier may be a model name or number, a class orcategory of devices, or other indicator of device type. At 706, thefirst computing resource (e.g., utility application store 102)configures the application or a credential to activate the applicationfor the one or more smart sensors based at least in part on the request.Configuring the application or credential for the one or more smartsensors may include, for example, determining, from the identifier ofeach of the one or more smart sensors, a compatible version of theapplication for each of the one or more smart sensors.

At 708, the first computing resource (e.g., utility application store102) may present a price for installation or activation of theapplication on the one or more smart sensors. The price may be presentedin the form, or as part, of a purchase interface (e.g., purchaseinterfaces 200, 300, or 400). At 710, the first computing resourcereceives payment or agreement to pay for the installation or activationof the application on the one or more smart sensors. In one example,payment or agreement to pay may be in the form of selection of a “BuyNow” or other purchase control on the purchase interface.

At 712, the first computing resource (e.g., utility application store102) may prepare the application or credential for transmission to theone or more smart sensors by segmenting the application or credentialinto multiple segments, compressing the application or credential,and/or encrypting the application or credential. The specificsegmenting, compressing, and/or encrypting operations may vary dependingon the nature and requirements of the utility communication network andthe selected delivery method. For instance, if the application orcredential is to be delivered to a utility supplier, fewer preparationoperations may be needed than if the application or credential is to bedelivered to the individual smart sensors.

At 714, the first computing resource (e.g., utility application store102) determines how to deliver the application or credential (e.g.,based on a delivery method specified in the request, based on a defaultdelivery method, a delivery method previously specified by the user,etc.) and causes transmission of the application (or the credential toactivate the application) to the one or more smart sensors. Depending onthe method of delivery specified in the request (if any), causingtransmission of the application or the credential to the one or moresmart sensors may include, at 716, transmitting the application or thecredential to the one or more smart sensors directly, and/or, at 718,transmitting the application or credential to the second computingresource (e.g., computing device 114) or to another computing resource(e.g., utility supplier 110) for distribution to the one or more smartsensors. In one example, transmitting the application or the credentialto the one or more smart sensors comprises sending a message includingthe application or the credential to the one or more smart sensors via autility communication network.

Example Notification of Application Availability

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another example networked environmentor architecture 800, which is usable to provide notifications of theexistence of applications that may be of interest to various users. Forinstance, the architecture 800 enables notification of users whenapplications are available for the users' devices, or when applicationsare installed on the users' devices.

Like the architecture 100 of FIG. 1, architecture 800 includes theutility application store 102 having the repository 104 of applicationsavailable for installation on one or more utility meters or other smartsensors 106. The architecture also includes the utility supplier 110 incommunication with the utility application store 102 and the smartsensors 106 via the network 112. However, the architecture 800 of thisexample also includes a consumer computing device 802, such as apersonal computer or mobile device, and one or more other services 804.The other services represent one or more computing devices and mayinclude web services that provide data (e.g., weather services, sensornetworks, resource pricing data, current resource demand data, etc.) orcomputing resources (e.g., cloud storage or processing resources, webhosting resources, analytic processing, calculations, validation,authentication, payment processing, etc.). Other services may alsoinclude retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, software developers,municipalities, or other entities that may provide or desire notice ofthe existence of applications for various computing devices.

The app store repository 104 may include applications 506(1)-506(M),some of which may be designed to run on smart sensors and some of whichmay be designed to run on one or more servers of the utility supplier110, consumer computing devices 114, or other computing devices or“other services” 804. The applications may have been developed by anentity administering the application store 102, one or more utilitymeter or hardware manufacturers, one or more utility suppliers, one ormore independent software vendors, and/or one or more providers of theother services 804.

When the utility application store 102 receives a request from acomputing device to install an application, the utility applicationstore 102 may be configured to notify the requesting computing device ofthe existence of one or more complimentary applications. Additionally oralternatively, the utility application store 102 may be configured tonotify other computing devices of the existence of the requestedapplication and/or the complimentary application(s). A complimentaryapplication is one that is somehow related or associated with anotherapplication. In some instances, a complimentary application may beconfigured to receive and/or provide additional functionality and/ordata to/from another application (e.g., an application for a utilitymeter that provides data to populate a complimentary smartphoneapplication). In other instances, a complimentary application may be onethat includes a feature similar or supplemental to a feature included inanother application (e.g., an application that allows a utility meter toconnect to a home area network via WiFi may be considered to becomplimentary to an application that allows a utility meter to functionas a WiFi hotspot).

Referring back to FIG. 8, some of the applications stored in theapplication repository 104 are designated as being complimentaryapplications (e.g., applications 506(1), 506(2), and 506(3)). Thiscomplimentary designation may be made in, for example, the applicationindex 504 or metadata associated with the applications 506. Thus, uponreceiving a request from a computing device for a first application506(1), the utility application store 102 may notify one or more othercomputing devices of the existence of complimentary applications 506(2)and 506(3). Additionally or alternatively, the utility application store102 may notify the one or more other computing devices of the existenceof the first application 506(1) and/or that the first application 506(1)has been installed on the first computing device.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C illustrate three example notifications that may beprovided informing various users of the existence of applications.

FIG. 9A illustrates a notification 900A that may be sent to a utilitysupplier informing the utility supplier that one or more of theircustomers have installed an application, “How Green Can You Be?—UtilityManagement Application,” on their personal computer or mobile device.The notification 900A also informs the utility supplier that acomplimentary application is available for their customer's utilitymeters that can enhance the application the customers have installed.For instance, the application for the utility meter may include anapplication programming interface (API) which the customers' applicationcan call to obtain certain additional data or exercise certainfunctionality of the utility meter that would not otherwise be availableto the customers.

In the illustrated example, the notification 900A also includes anindication of two specific customers, Bob Jones and Cindy Johnson, thathave recently installed the application and a total number of customersthat have installed the application. This information is shownunderlined in FIG. 9A to indicate that additional information isavailable by, for example, selecting the underlined text. By selectingthe underlined text, the utility supplier may obtain additionalinformation about the specific customers, details of the installationsand devices on which the application was installed, the number ofinstallations, the times of installations, and the like. By providingthis information, the utility supplier is able to determine how manycustomers would benefit from the installation of the meter application.

The notification 900A also includes a price field indicating a price ofthe application and a preview control allowing the user to preview theapplication prior to purchasing. The preview control may allow the userto link to screenshots, description, and/or demonstrations of theapplication. Additionally or alternatively, the preview control mayallow the user to install a demo or trial version of the application. Apurchase control 902, such the illustrated “Buy Now” button, may allowthe user to purchase and install the application quickly and easilydirectly from the notification. Additionally or alternatively, thenotification may include a link 904 to the utility application store 102in order to install or activate the application.

FIG. 9B illustrates a notification 900B that may be sent to a customer,informing them that their utility supplier has installed an application(e.g., “OS 2.0: Power Quality Add-On”) on the customer's utility meter.The notification also informs the customer that a complimentaryapplication is available for the customer's personal computer or mobiledevice that can provide the customer with additional information abouttheir utility consumption that was not previously available. As in theprevious example, the notification 900B also includes a price field anda preview control.

In some instances, such as when the user accesses the notification froma personal computer, the customer may be able to purchase, download, andinstall the application directly from the notification to the personalcomputer. However, in other instances, such as when the user accessesthe notification from smartphone or other mobile device, the user mayneed to navigate to an application store for the specific smartphone ormobile device (e.g., the iTunes® store or the Android® store).Accordingly, the notification 900B may include a link 904 to one or moredevice- or platform-specific application stores from which theapplication can be obtained.

FIG. 9C illustrates a notification 900C that may be sent to a utilitysupplier that has installed an application, “OS 2.0: Power QualityAdd-On,” on one or more utility meters. The notification also informsthe utility supplier that a complimentary application is available fortheir central office servers that can make use of the data andfunctionality of the meter applications to optimize their powerdistribution network. As in the previous examples, the notification 900Calso includes a price field and a preview control.

As in the example of FIG. 9A above, the notification 900C may include apurchase control 902, which may allow the user to purchase and installthe application quickly and easily directly from the notification.Additionally or alternatively, the notification 900C may include a link904 to the utility application store 102 in order to install or activatethe application.

The foregoing examples envision that the customers and utility supplierswould each pay any applicable price for installing their own respectiveapplications. In other embodiments, the utility supplier may subsidizethe consumer application, or the consumers may subsidize installation ofthe application on their meters. That is, the meter application may bepriced such that by paying for and installing the meter application, theconsumer application may be offered to the customer for free and viceversa.

FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram which illustrates an example flow ofoperations 1000 that may be used to provide notification of theexistence of applications for installation on one or more computingdevices. The example flow of operations 1000 is described in the contextof the example of architecture 800 and with reference to the devicesillustrated in FIG. 8. However, the flow of operations 1000 is notlimited to use with the architecture 800 and devices of FIG. 8 and maybe implemented using other architectures and devices.

The flow of operations 1000 may begin, at block 1002, when a firstcomputing device (e.g., utility application store 102) receives arequest to install a first application on a second computing device(e.g., consumer device 802). At 1004, the first computing device maytransmit the application, a credential to activate the application, or alink to download the application from another site (e.g., a clientspecific application store). The application, credential, and/or linkmay be transmitted to the requesting computing device (e.g., consumerdevice 802) or to another computing device (e.g., smart sensor 106).

The first computing device may also, at 1006, identify a secondapplication, which is associated with the first application and isconfigured for execution by a third computing device (e.g., smart sensor106, utility supplier 110, or another computing device not shown) of atype other than the second computing device. At 1008, the firstcomputing device sends a notification of availability of the secondapplication to one or more computing devices (e.g., consumer device 802,computing device 114, utility supplier 110, or another computing devicenot shown).

In some examples, the associated second application may comprise acomplimentary application that is configured to receive and/or provideadditional functionality and/or data to the first application. That is,the first application may be configured to interface with the secondapplication to employ functionality and/or data of the secondapplication, or vice versa.

In the illustrated example, the first computing device comprises utilityapplication store 102, the second computing device comprises consumerdevice 802, and the third computing device comprises smart sensor 106.However, in other examples, the first, second, and third computingdevices may comprise other computing devices. For instance, the thirdcomputing device may comprise other types of utility network computingdevice associated with a user or user account. A smart sensor is oneexample of a utility network computing device, but other examples ofutility network computing devices include, without limitation, anelectric vehicle charging station, a distributed generation source, ahome area network device, a transformer, an appliance, an inverter, orthe like. In another example, the second computing device may comprise autility computing device (e.g., computing device 114) and may requestinstallation of an application on a customer's utility meter. Uponreceiving the request, the utility application store 102 may send anotification to the consumer's smartphone (i.e., the third computingdevice), informing the user of the existence of a complimentaryapplication for the user's smartphone. In yet another example, acomputing device other than utility application store 102 may providethe notification of complimentary applications.

In some examples, the notification may include a control usable topurchase the second application, a control usable to cause installationof the second application on the third computing device, and/or acontrol usable to access an application store from which the firstapplication is installable by computing device. FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9Cillustrate three example notifications that may be provided at operation1008. However, numerous other notifications may be used to notify othercomputing devices or users of the existence of applications.

At 1010, any of the computing devices having received the notificationmay present the notification on a display of the computing device. Inthe illustrated example, only the computing device 114 is shown aspresenting the notification. However, the other computing devicesreceiving the notification (i.e., consumer device 802 and/or utilitysupplier 110) may additionally or alternatively present thenotification. Subsequently, at 1012, the computing device(s) displayingthe notification may receive user selection of a control of thenotification presented on the display. Responsive to receiving theselection of the control, at 1014, the computing device(s) (e.g.,computing device 114) may request that the first computing device (e.g.,utility application store 102) transmit the second application to thecomputing device (computing device 114) or to another computing device(e.g., smart sensor 106).

At 1016, the first computing device may transmit the second application,or a credential to activate the second application, to the requestingcomputing device or, as shown in FIG. 10, to a device specified by therequesting device (e.g., smart sensor 106).

The first computing device may also have, at 1006, identified a third(or subsequent) application, which is associated with the first and/orsecond applications and is configured for execution by a fourthcomputing device (e.g., utility supplier 110, or another computingdevice not shown). In that case, the notification displayed at 1010 mayhave included notification of the existence of both the second and thirdapplications, and the selection of the control received at 1012 may haveapplied to both the second and third applications. Accordingly, thecomputing device(s) having displayed the notification (e.g., computingdevice 114) may, at 1018, additionally request that the first computingdevice (e.g., utility application store 102) transmit the thirdapplication to another computing device (e.g., utility supplier 110).

At 1020, the first computing device may transmit the third application,or a credential to activate the third application, to the devicespecified by the requesting device (e.g., utility supplier 110).

Example Distributed Applications

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example networked environmentor architecture 1100, illustrating the use of distributed applicationsamongst multiple computing devices. For instance, the architecture 1100enables the distribution of multiple portions of a distributedapplication, which is executable by multiple different devices. Forinstance, a first portion of the distributed application may configuredfor execution by a first computing device, while one or more additionalportions of the distributed application may be configured for executionby one or more additional computing devices that are separate from thefirst computing device. The first portion of the distributed applicationmay be configured to interface with the one or more additional portionsof the distributed application and to employ functionality and/or dataof the one or more additional portions of the distributed application.

In some examples, at least some of the multiple different computingdevices comprise different types of devices and/or devices runningdifferent operating systems. In one example, the first computing devicecomprises a smart utility meter and the one or more additional computingdevices comprise a utility server, a cloud computing resource, apersonal computer, a mobile device, an electric vehicle charger, adistributed generation source, a home area network device, atransformer, an appliance, and/or an inverter. In a further example, aportion of the distributed application may operate on the smart utilitymeter, and may communicate with another portion of the application whichoperates on a personal computer or mobile device. The portion of thedistributed application running on the smart utility meter may accessutility consumption data, while the portion of the application runningon the personal computer or mobile device may provide a user interfaceaccessible by a consumer,

Like the architecture 800 of FIG. 8, architecture 1100 includes theutility application store 102 having the repository 104 of applicationsavailable for installation on one or more utility meters or other smartsensors 106. The architecture also includes the utility supplier 110,the consumer computing device 802, and the one or more other services804 in communication with the utility application store 102 and thesmart sensors 106 via the network 112.

However, in the architecture 1100, the application repository 104 ofutility application store 102 includes applications 1102(1), 1102(2),1102(3), 1102(4), . . . 1102(L) (collectively referred to as“applications 1102”), where L is any integer greater than or equal to 1.The applications 1102 include a subset of applications 1102(1)-1102(4)that together define a distributed application 1104. As such, theapplications 1102(1)-1102(4) may be considered portions of thedistributed application 1104. Each portion of the distributedapplication 1104 may be configured to perform certain operationsindependently. Additionally, each portion of the distributed application1104 may also be configured to interface with one or more additionalportions of the distributed application, and to employ functionalityand/or data of the one or more additional portions of the distributedapplication.

The applications 1102(1)-1102(4) are also shown installed on multipledifferent devices of different types. For instance, application 1102(1),the first portion of the distributed application 1104, is installed onsmart meter 106(1). Application 1102(2), the second portion of thedistributed application 1104, is installed on consumer device 802.Application 1102(3), the third portion of the distributed application1104, is installed on the utility supplier 110. And, application1102(4), the fourth portion of the distributed application 1104, isinstalled on one of the other services 804. Each of these differentdevices, on which a portion of the distributed application 1104 runs,may comprise different hardware, different operating system, differentsoftware or versions of software, or the like. However, the variousportions of the distributed application 1104 are able to interact witheach other and leverage the data and/or processing capabilities of theother portions of the distributed application. In some examples,communication amongst the portions of the distributed application 1104may be made possible by one or more application programming interfaces(APIs) presented by one or more portions of the distributed applicationthat may be called by the other portions of the applications toimplement certain functions and/or obtain certain data.

FIG. 12 illustrates a simple example of a distributed application 1104that may be used to perform an operation of informing a customer of hisor her electricity consumption. In this example, application 1102(2)executing on the customer device 802 may call APIs of applications1102(1), 1102(3), and 1102(4). In response to receiving the API call,the application 1102(1) executing on the smart sensor may report currentresource consumption data (e.g., electricity usage) of a site at whichthe smart sensor 106(1) is installed. Similarly, the application 1102(3)executing on the central office 110 may report historical averageresource consumption data (e.g., electricity usage) of the customer orthe site. The application 1102(3) may additionally or alternativelyreport consumption data for one or more peers of the customer (e.g.,nearby customers, customers with similar consumption patterns, etc.).The application 1102(4) executing on the other services 804 may providecurrent resource pricing data, for example. The application 1102(2) maythen display the data received from the other portions of thedistributed application 1104 on a screen of the consumer device 802.Accordingly, the distributed application utilizes the user interface ofthe consumer device, the consumption data of the smart meter, thepricing or historical consumption information of the central office, andthe weather or other information of the other services to provide aunique combination of information that could not readily be provided bya single source. In another example, a distributed application couldadvantageously provide information to the utility supplier.

FIG. 12 is but one simple example of a distributed application. Numerousother examples are possible using the concept of distributedapplications. Several other non-limiting examples are described brieflybelow. In one example, a first portion of a distributed application maybe configured to execute on a utility meter or other smart sensor tocollect and process resource consumption data. Compared to othercomputing resources, the utility meter or smart sensor may be somewhatconstrained in terms of memory and/or processing resources. The firstportion of the distributed application running on the utility meter orsmart sensor may be configured to offload certain processing operationsto a second portion of the distributed application running on acomputing device which has greater processing power, such as the utilitysupplier servers or a cloud computing resource. This offload ofprocessing responsibilities may be implemented regularly or on an asneeded basis.

In another example of a distributed application, a first portion of ademand response application may execute at the central office. The firstportion of the demand response application may receive data from asecond portion of the application that resides at a weather serviceand/or a third portion of the application that resides at an electricitydistribution site. The data received from the second and third portionsof the application may be used by the first portion to measure andpredict resource demands. The first portion of the application may alsocommunicate with a fourth portion of the application that resides on oneor more utility meters, control points, or other smart sensors toregulate utility consumption at particular sites based on the measuredand predicted resource demands.

FIG. 13 is a signal flow diagram which illustrates an example flow ofoperations 1300 that may represent the signal flow between devicesexecuting portions of one or more distributed applications. The portionsof the distributed application may be configured to run concurrently onthe multiple computing devices. The example flow of operations 1300 isdescribed in the context of the example of architecture 1100 and withreference to the devices illustrated in FIG. 11. However, the flow ofoperations 1300 is not limited to use with the architecture 1100 anddevices of FIG. 11 and may be implemented using other architectures anddevices.

The flow of operations 1300 may begin, at block 1302, when a firstcomputing device, such as a utility meter or other smart sensor 106,performs a first portion of an operation (e.g., measuring resourceconsumption). At 1304, the first computing device communicates with asecond portion of the distributed application installed at a remotecomputing resource to cause performance by the remote computing resourceof a second portion of the operation. The communication may include acall to an API of the second portion of the distributed application orremote computing resource to cause the remote computing resource toprovide data and/or perform a processing operation. The remote computingresource may comprise consumer device 802, utility supplier 110, othercomputing service 804, or any other computing resource. Some examples ofother computing resources include, without limitation, a utility server,a cloud computing resource, a personal computer, a mobile device, anelectric vehicle charger, a distributed generation source, a home areanetwork device, a transformer, an appliance, or an inverter.

At 1306, the remote computing resource may perform the second portion ofthe operation. The second portion of the operation may include any of awide range of operations. In several non-limiting examples, the secondoperation may comprise presenting information on a display or obtainingweather information, resource pricing information, resource demandinformation, resource supply information, demographic data, orvalidation data. Additionally or alternatively, the second portion ofthe operation may comprise performing a processing operation (e.g., anoffloaded operation of the first portion of the distributedapplication).

At 1308, the first computing resource may receive a response from theremote computing resource. The response may include a result ofperformance of the second portion of the operation by the remotecomputing resource (e.g., the data retrieved by execution of the secondportion of the distributed application, a processing result of executionof the second portion of the distributed application, etc.). In someexamples, the result may include a call to an API of the first portionof the distributed application or to an operating system of the firstcomputing resource. In some examples, the first portion of thedistributed application may run concurrently with the second portion ofthe distributed application.

At 1310, the first computing resource may receive a request from theremote computing resource (or another remote computing resource) toexecute the first portion of the distributed application to perform athird part of the operation. The request may call an API of the firstportion of the distributed application or an API of an operating systemof the first computing resource. In one example, the third operation maycomprise querying a memory or register of the first computing resource(e.g., smart sensor) for one or more sensor readings stored in a memoryor register of the first computing resource. In the case where the firstcomputing resource comprises a utility meter, the sensor readings storedin memory of the first computing resource may comprise, for example,resource consumption readings from a metrology module of the firstcomputing resource. Responsive to receiving the request, the firstcomputing resource may, at 1312, execute the first portion of thedistributed application to perform the third part of the operation. At1314, the first computing resource may communicate a result of executionof the first application to the second portion of the distributedapplication installed at the remote computing resource. In examples inwhich the first computing resource comprises a utility meter the resultmay include resource consumption data associated with a site of theutility meter.

While FIG. 13 illustrates implementation of a distributed applicationacross only two computing devices, the techniques described withreference to FIG. 13 can readily be extended to distributed applicationsrunning across three, four, or even more computing devices.

The flows of operations illustrated in FIGS. 7, 10, and 13 areillustrated as collections of blocks and/or arrows representingsequences of operations that can be implemented in hardware, software,firmware, or a combination thereof. The order in which the blocks aredescribed is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and anynumber of the described operations can be combined in any order toimplement one or more methods, or alternate methods. Additionally,individual operations may be omitted from the flow of operations withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the subject matter describedherein. In the context of software, the blocks representcomputer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, perform the recited operations. In the context of hardware,the blocks may represent one or more circuits (e.g., applicationspecific integrated circuits—ASICs) configured to execute the recitedoperations.

Although the application describes embodiments having specificstructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features oracts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are merelyillustrative some embodiments that fall within the scope of the claimsof the application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method implemented by an application store, themethod comprising: receiving, at a computing device of the applicationsstore, a request to install a first application on a utility networkcomputing device; identifying a second application that is availablefrom the application store and is associated with the first application,the second application configured for execution by a mobile device orpersonal computer; and sending, by the application store, a notificationof availability of the second application to the mobile device orpersonal computer.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondapplication comprises a complimentary application that is configured toreceive, provide, or both receive and provide, additional functionalityand/or data to the first application.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe notification includes at least one of: a control usable to purchasethe second application; or a control usable to cause installation of thesecond application on the mobile device or personal computer.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the utility network computing devicecomprises a utility meter, an electric vehicle charging station, adistributed generation source, a home area network device, atransformer, an appliance, or an inverter.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein sending the notification comprises sending the notification tothe mobile device or personal computer, the notification comprising anindication that the first application has been installed on the utilitynetwork computing device, and that the second application is availablefor installation on the mobile device or personal computer.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising outputting for display, a userinterface accessible by the mobile device or personal computer.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the user interface presents a plurality ofapplications that are available from the application store.
 8. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the user interface includes multiple tabsthat each represent a different category of applications of a pluralityof categories available from the application store.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the plurality of categories comprise meterapplications, utility applications, consumer applications, and otherapplications.
 10. A method implemented by an application store, themethod comprising: receiving, at a computing device of the applicationstore, a request to install a first application on a utility networkcomputing device; identifying a second application that is availablefrom the application store and is associated with the first application,the second application configured for execution by a utility suppliercomputing device; and sending, by the application store, a notificationof availability of the second application to the utility suppliercomputing device.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the secondapplication comprises a complimentary application that is configured toreceive, provide, or both receive and provide, additional functionalityand/or data to the first application.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein the notification includes at least one of: a control usable topurchase the second application; or a control usable to causeinstallation of the second application on the utility supplier computingdevice.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the utility networkcomputing device comprises a utility meter, an electric vehicle chargingstation, a distributed generation source, a home area network device, atransformer, an appliance, or an inverter.
 14. The method of claim 10,wherein sending the notification comprises sending the notification tothe utility supplier computing device, the notification comprising anindication that the first application has been installed on the utilitynetwork computing device, and that the second application is availablefor installation on the utility supplier computing device.
 15. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the identifying is based on metadataassociated with the first application or based on an application indexaccessible by the application store.
 16. A utility supplier computingdevice comprising: one or more processors; and memory communicativelycoupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions that areexecutable to perform operations comprising: receiving, at the utilitysupplier computing device, a notification of the availability of a firstapplication which is: configured for execution by the utility suppliercomputing device or another device administered by a same utilitysupplier as the utility supplier computing device, and associated with asecond application which has been installed on one or more utilitynetwork computing devices which are associated with one or morecustomers of the utility supplier; and presenting the notification on adisplay of the utility supplier computing device.
 17. The utilitysupplier computing device of claim 16, wherein the notificationcomprises at least one of: an indication of a number of utility networkcomputing devices on which the second application has been installed; oran identifier of the one or more customers that are associated withutility network computing devices on which the second application hasbeen installed.
 18. The utility supplier computing device of claim 16,wherein the first application is configured to communicate with thesecond application to provide additional information to the secondapplication.
 19. The utility supplier computing device of claim 16,wherein the notification includes at least one of: a control usable topurchase the first application, a control usable to cause installationof the first application on the utility supplier computing device, or acontrol usable to access an application store from which the firstapplication is installable by the utility supplier computing device. 20.The utility supplier computing device of claim 16, the operationsfurther comprising: receiving selection of a control of the notificationpresented on the display; and responsive to receiving selection of thecontrol, requesting that an application store transmit the firstapplication to the utility supplier computing device.